This Week in Retail: In-store pop-ups dos and don’ts, tips on suggestive selling and more

Thinking about running an in-store pop-up shop? Wondering how you can implement a seamless mobile strategy? Vend’s latest installment of This Week in Retail has answers to all that and more. Check out the stories below and take action to make your store even more awesome.

1. Frictionless mobile commerce: 5 examples of companies that are leading – You’ve likely heard a ton of advice about going mobile and WHY you should do it, but if you’re still foggy about HOW to implement your mobile strategy, maybe some real life examples would help. In this post, Aaron Strout shares his thoughts on successful mobile campaigns and he also provides examples of companies doing it right. Give it a read, and be sure to check the comments for more ideas.

2. How shop-in-shops benefit both retailers and brands – We’ve talked about pop-up facts and best practices here and here, but if you still can’t get enough of pop-up stores, you should check out this post. It discusses shop-in-shop retailing and why it’s working for a lot of merchants. More importantly it shares some success stories (and not-so-successful ones) of in-store pop-ups, so you can get a better idea of the do’s and don’ts of shop-in-shop retailing.

3. Jordy Leiser: how to predict the future of physical retail in the digital age – Retail shouldn’t be an all or nothing battle between brick-and-mortar and ecommerce. As Jordy Leiser aptly wrote, “The most successful retailers will be the ones who are able to make the digital and physical work together, elevating the customer experience as a result.” In this post, Jordy shares his interesting insights on how retailers can create an awesome customer experience across multiple channels and he gives some examples of how other merchants are doing it.

4. 3 ways retailers can empower employees to succeed with suggestive selling – Suggestive selling can be a powerful tool in retail, but only if it’s done right. The strategy isn’t just about giving your associates a memorized script; rather, it’s about empowering your staff to become product experts who can provide tailored advice and real value to your customers. This post offers three tips to help you and your employees do just that.

5. US mobile users turn to smartphones, tablets to redeem coupons – Do you give out coupons in your store? A new study suggests that you may want to take those bargains to the mobile realm. eMarketer predicts that “The mobile coupon audience will post double-digit growth rates annually through 2016,” indicating that shoppers would be doing less coupon cutting and more mobile scanning in the coming years.

Francesca Nicasio is Vend's Retail Expert and Content Strategist. She writes about trends, tips, and other cool things that enable retailers to increase sales, serve customers better, and be more awesome overall. She's also the author of Retail Survival of the Fittest, a free eBook to help retailers future-proof their stores. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Google+.